Tarns nominated for Pride Of Australia Award

Tarns nominated for the Inspiration Category!

FOR Unley street artist Adam Poole-Mottishaw, creativity is the way to get young people on the straight and narrow. Mr Poole-Mottishaw runs aerosol art workshops for youth in areas including Elizabeth and Mount Baker, and at his ColdKrush store and gallery on Unley Rd. He works to break the cycle of vandalism and channel young people into more creative pursuits.

“They are at that age where they’re breaking the rules and they want to be heard, it’s their kind of outlet,” Mr Poole-Mottishaw said. “A lot have the artistic flair, but they seem lost. “I’m not there to tell them what not to do, we’re trying to show them, if you’re proactive, you can actually some money out of it as well.”

Mr Poole-Mottishaw has been nominated for a Pride of Australia award in the Inspiration category, recognising teachers and role models whose compassion and wisdom while teaching, coaching or mentoring our youth has been truly inspiring.

Working under the name “Tarns”, he started out tagging. “When you’re starting, you want to be famous, you’re just a kid off the street and you want to be known, so you work pretty hard getting your name everywhere,” he said. Mr Poole-Mottishaw established an art course for students at Mount Barker’s Adelaide Hills Vocational College who were caught doing graffiti and attendance rates soared.

His street art is displayed in the Attorney-General’s office, on hit TV show The Block and in Adelaide cafes.